I’ve started the process of meditation so many times but when life gets crazy I fail to make the time for myself.  But recently I got sick.  Well, in truth I have been sick for a little while but never made the time to see a doctor about it.  I was just too busy.  Now I don’t have a choice.  As the doctors poke at me, drain me of my blood and hint at things I can’t wrap my head around, I finally started to re-look at my life and the choices I’ve been making.  Now more than ever I need mediation in my life.  It is so more than just about me time.  So in my journey to find a little more peace in my life, I realize everyone doesn’t get loud wakeup calls like I am receiving.   So here are a few reasons that meditation is great for anyone!

• Discover your purpose.  Often we look to find happiness through other people and external events in our lives.  However, through meditation we can gain a better understanding of life by knowing who we truly are.
• Battle the bulge. Meditation helps with weight loss and our ability to normalize to our ideal weights.
• Defy your age. Through the practice of meditation, our minds age at slower rate and it is believed that it can even decrease the body’s aging process.
• Improve relationships.  Through meditation we increase serotonin levels which have a positive influence on our moods and behaviors.  Not only that, meditation creates a deeper capacity for love and forgiveness strengthening our relationships.
• Get smart.  With a little time each day we can increase our ability to solve complex problems or issues & even enhance our intelligence growth rates. I know!!!  Time to pull out the Mensa puzzles.
• Improve work. Meditation helps to increase job satisfaction and it strengthens our abilities to ignore the little irritating things that often tense us up…including co-workers who just seem to be bouncing on our nerves.
• Get creative. So often our minds are filled with memories and thoughts that we fail to find the quiet. It is in the silence that we learn to live in the moment enabling us to tap into a level of creativity than we never knew was possible.
• Kick the habit.  Through meditation, we can find the strength and focus to finally stop those annoying bad habits that continue to weigh us down.
• Be happy.  Everyone looks for it, yet often happiness is submerged in our negative thoughts.  Happiness comes with finding peace of mind…something meditation can give each of us.
• Sleep easy.  According to the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research, about 30-40% of adults have some symptoms of insomnia.  I actually think that sounds low.  With the mounting stress that families are under, it can be hard to get a good night’s sleep.  Meditation helps with sleep deprivation by allowing us to fall asleep faster and recover quicker with less sleep.

After doing a little research, I realized how much more I have to gain by adding a little quiet, mindful meditation into my life.   The stronger my mind is…the stronger my body will be.   It is important to find that inner peace before your body forces you to stop and search for it.  Don’t wait.  You matter.